MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 447: Traitor?

Anthony sat in his room, laughing uncontrollably, his eyes teary from the sheer amusement.

He muttered incoherent gibberish under his breath as his gaze remained glued to his phone screen.

The soundproofing of the room did its job, otherwise, the soldiers outside wouldʼve surely wondered who the idiot was, laughing like a maniac in the middle of the base.

But Anthony couldnʼt help it.

This was the joy he found in roaming the net, the endless supply of absurd, hilarious people who never failed to brighten his day.

He couldnʼt help but think to himself,

ʼSome people are just too muchʼ

Suddenly, Anthonyʼs laughter ceased, as though it had never existed at all.

His body stilled, his eyes narrowing as he shifted his gaze to the door.

His Sense Dome flared to life, picking up on the presence of someone approaching.

Colonel Vazeryth.

But he wasnʼt alone.

Behind him, Anthony sensed the familiar auras of his teammates, Kingsley, Dale, Reynold, and Seraphim, each of them following in the Colonelʼs wake.

There was no time to brace himself.

Colonel Vazerythʼs knuckles rapped gently on the door, a sound that was almost too quiet, but Anthony was already there, swift.

He opened the door without a word, his expression unreadable.

”Good afternoon, Colonel Vazeryth”

Anthony said, his voice respectful as he saluted.

Colonel Vazeryth gave a brief nod in acknowledgment, but his eyes never lingered on Anthony.

Without missing a beat, he turned away from the door and spoke in a low, authoritative tone.

”Follow me”

Anthony nodded, his curiosity piqued.

He turned his gaze toward his teammates, who stood nearby.

Each of them exchanged glances, their expressions a mix of confusion and concern.

They shook their heads, signaling they had no idea what was going on.

With a final glance at the door, Anthony closed it behind him, the soft click of the lock echoing in the silence.

He fell in line behind the Colonel, each step heavy with anticipation as they moved down the hallway.

As they walked down the hallway, the space in front of Colonel Vazeryth seemed to bend, warping without a single movement from him.

The Colonel was a being with the space affinity, a power that allowed him to manipulate the very fabric of reality around him.

Without a word, a portal opened before him, its edges crackling with energy.

Colonel Vazeryth walked through it without even a pause in his stride, his form disappearing into the swirling abyss of the portal.

Anthony, with no hesitation, followed suit.

His teammates did the same, one after the other, stepping into the portal without a second thought.

The world around him seemed to distort for a moment, the familiar hallways of the base fading as the portalʼs pull gripped him.

When Anthony finally regained his senses, he found himself in an entirely different place.

His senses snapped into focus, the new environment hitting him like a wave.

The first thing he noticed, however, was the absence of his teammates.

They were gone.

ʼWe were all transported to separate placesʼ

Anthony thought as his senses began to absorb the new surroundings.

He stood in a room painted in pure white, a whiteness that seemed more like a presence than a color. It wasnʼt the sterile, cold white of a hospital or a blank canvas, it radiated a calm, soothing energy, like the very air in the room was designed to ease the mind.

His All Seeing Eyes flickered, and as his gaze swept over the space, his heightened perception instantly caught the intricate runes etched into the walls and floor, symbols that seemed to pulse with an ancient energy.

In the center of the room, an ordinary square table sat, flanked by two chairs.

One chair, however, was distinctly different.

Carved runes were drawn upon its surface, a clear indication that it held some significance.

The other chair was simple, unadorned, just a chair.

There were no windows, no doors, no discernible means of entry or exit.

The room was empty, save for the table, the two chairs, and the hidden runic markings that decorated them.

In a single heartbeat, Anthony absorbed all the information.

His mind processed every detail in an instant.

Anthony didnʼt move.

He didnʼt speak.

He simply stood there, calm and still, awaiting whatever was to come.

There was an unspoken understanding in the air, a quiet certainty that something, something was about to unfold.

As he stood in the room, Anthony could sense the walls around him, though they seemed to suppress his senses in a subtle, almost imperceptible way, it was no match for his All Seeing Eyes and Sense Dome.

The attempts to dull his perception were futile.

With the flick of a thought, his vision expanded. He didnʼt even need to turn his head.

His All Seeing Eyes, paired with his Sense Dome, provided him with perfect 360-degree awareness.

Through his enhanced senses, Anthony immediately noticed two figures standing just outside the room, hidden in the periphery of his vision.

A Dragon. A Titan.

Both beings stood with a quiet intensity, their eyes fixed on him, studying him.

Their presence was imposing, but more than that, it felt like they were trying to read him, to decipher his every move, every micro-expression.

They seemed as if they were waiting for a reaction, looking for something, anything, that might reveal more about who he truly was.

But Anthony made no movement.

Not a single step had been taken since he arrived in the room.

His posture remained still, his gaze fixed ahead, and his hands tucked casually into his pockets.

It was as if he hadnʼt even acknowledged the presence of the two powerful beings outside the room.

He stood there, staring at the pristine white wall in front of him, the picture of calm indifference, his face completely expressionless.

ʼAn interrogation room. Interestingʼ

Anthony thought, his mind assessing the situation with clinical precision.

ʼAre the Dragon and Titan trying to build some tension by making me wait without any briefing?ʼ

His lips twitched in a small, invisible smirk.

ʼToo bad Iʼve seen this move in movies a lotʼ

The thought almost made him chuckle, but he remained perfectly still, his gaze unwavering.

The Dragon and Titan, out of sight but not out of mind, had no idea that their attempt to create pressure was already deflected.

A full hour passed.

The ticking of time seemed irrelevant, stretching on in the silence of the room.

But Anthony remained unperturbed.

His posture unchanged, his stillness absolute. If anyone were watching, they might have believed he had fallen asleep while standing, his eyes closed, his breathing even.

There was no tension, no sign of anxiety, not even the smallest fidget.

He was the picture of serenity.

The Dragon and Titan outside the room, however, were anything but serene.

Both were Grand Marshals, veterans of countless campaigns, who had just concluded a high-stakes meeting with the other Grand Marshals.

They had all tasked themselves with interrogating Anthony and his team, a responsibility they hadnʼt taken lightly.

Not that Anthony or his teammates had done anything wrong.

The Grand Marshal Dragonʼs piercing gaze remained fixed on Anthony as he silently observed the boyʼs unmoving stance.

”What do you think of him?”

He asked, his voice deep and measured, though there was a hint of curiosity beneath it.

The Grand Marshal Titan, standing just beside him, tilted his head slightly as he regarded Anthony.

His expression was unreadable, cold even, but there was a flicker of acknowledgment in his eyes.

”Well, at least he has a strong will and resolve”

The Titan remarked, his voice carrying no emotion, yet the weight of his words was unmistakable.

The Dragonʼs lips curved into a faint, almost imperceptible smile.

”To think the humans could produce such a monster”

He mused, his tone tinged with something between admiration and disbelief.

The Titan let out a low, rumbling chuckle, though it lacked humor.

”He isnʼt the son of just any human. He has the blood of four outrageous humans flowing through him. He is the very integration of them all”

After Grand Marshal Alaricʼs final words, they had demanded the full, unabridged files on Null Anthony.

The file they had previously received had only detailed his military service, a mere glimpse into his time in the ranks, nothing more than a snapshot, which, to their discredit, they had barely skimmed.

However, when they read through the entirety of his file, a sense of awe settled over them.

The more they read, the more undeniable the truth became.

No other race, no other individual, could have achieved what Anthony had.

They found themselves reflecting back to when they were nineteen.

What had they accomplished at that age?

Had they even touched the Grandmaster mana rank?

The answer echoed loudly within them: a resounding no.

”Iʼm more baffled by how a human could possess such an exquisite and flawless face. Even his family members donʼt compare in terms of appearance”

The Dragon Grand Marshal remarked, his voice laced with curiosity

The Titan Grand Marshal responded dryly.

”Arenʼt you a bit too old to be preoccupied with ʼface cardsʼ? Iʼm more curious about the physical strength packed into those muscles”

Unbeknownst to them, every word they spoke reached Anthonyʼs ears with absolute clarity.

Yet, Anthony remained unmoved, his expression unchanged.

Anthony wasnʼt the only one enduring the hour of profound silence.

His teammates, just as clueless as he, were left in their own isolated rooms, unaware of what was to come.

Kingsley remained as composed and unreadable as ever, his demeanor as impassive as a stone.

Like Anthony, he stood still, not a single movement betraying his thoughts.

Seraphim, however, seemed unbothered by the tension.

She had conjured a spiritual construct chair for herself, sitting with perfect grace and composure, her calmness radiating as if the situation were of no concern.

Dale and Reynold, on the other hand, were struggling.

Sweat dripped from their brows as panic set in.

Their minds spiraled into uncertainty.

What if the military had branded them as traitors?